Pairs of cameras are often used to capture images. For example, a camera pair may be used to capture a left image and a right image which are to be used as left and right eye images of a stereoscopic image pair, respectively, in a stereoscopic application.
Unfortunately, when cameras are mounted side by side, particularly when fish eye lenses are used, the field of view of the lens of the left camera of a stereoscopic camera pair may be partially obstructed by the lens of the right camera and vice versa. As a result, rather than capturing an image of an environment, the right camera may capture an image where the left portion of the image includes an image of a portion of the left camera lens. Similarly, the left camera may capture an image that includes a left portion that includes an image of a portion of the right camera lens. The problem of one lens partially obstructing the view of the lens of the adjacent camera can occur in a wide range of applications but is more pronounced when cameras are closely spaced as compared to when the cameras are further apart from each other.
In the case of stereoscopic camera pairs, the left and right cameras are often closely spaced and fisheye lenses are often used. The use of large fisheye lenses, which can be desirable in many applications, further complicates things since large fisheye lenses often protrude out further than smaller lenses. Another complication of using large fish eye lenses is that the large lenses may have a radius larger than the average spacing between the optical axis of an average human's eyes. This can result in the capture of images that differ from what an average human might be expected to perceive with his/her left and right eyes.
It would be desirable if methods and/or apparatus could be developed which would allow for side by side cameras to be used to capture images but which would allow an individual final image or images to include image content corresponding to an area which is obstructed by a the lens or camera body of an adjacent camera device. In addition it would be desirable if in at least some embodiments large lenses could be used for a stereoscopic camera pair while still allowing for an optical axis spacing approximating that of a human being.